


The Golden Vanir

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Series: When Icarus Met The Sun [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, F/M, Female Tony Stark, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-10-23 00:31:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17672990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: Stars don't die - they go dark. Eventually, that darkness blooms again into new life, different, yet immortally unchangeable.Odin sees her star flare to life once more in a Midgardian. The entirety of Yggdrasill shakes.





	1. Myth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShadowTK97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowTK97/gifts).



> The soundtrack to this piece is "Beyond Love" by Ivan Torrent and most of the rest of Immortalys.

Thor had spent his childhood wrapped in the worship of the Valkyries. He'd loved their battles and heroism, their strength and glory. Loki hadn't been so keen on them, but had the same kind of awe for their reputation as most children. 

But it was in the quiet moments, away from the bustle of the castle, against his mother's breast, that he learned the myth and prophecy that haunted his dreams. 

He learned of a goddess dead long before him, with flaxen tresses and tears of gold. She, who searched for a husband gone abroad, left behind and abandoned. She, greatest of the Vanir, who held her own version of Valhalla and commanded the respect of both Vanaheim and Asgard with effortless poise and grace. She, who was all things carnal and affectionate, yet presided over the battlefield and the dead. She, who's magic had been so strong and impressive, Odin had sought out her teachings. She, golden and beautiful, who draped herself in the flaming stone of Brisingamen and propelled the Aesir world into a new age. 

"Did you know her, Mother?"

"I met her only once." Frigga admitted. "The day Odin sacrificed her. The day he promised to fulfill the prophecy."

"Why did he sacrifice her?"

"To forestall Ragnarok." Frigga pet his hair. "The city is gold in her honour."

"When will she come back?"

"Her body went to Wolf, to keep him back." Frigga said. "But Odin set her spirit free to find herself again. She will come back one day."

"Tell us the myth again, Mother." Loki said from her other side. 

"Alright." She sat back, letting the fire warm them. 

* * *

_Odin waded into Hel to resurrect a wise woman during the dawning of Ragnarok._

_"Tell me, wise woman, what I can do to forestall this coming night?"_

_"The universe is born and remade in the dying of stars." Said she. "A star will burn until it can burn no longer, then it will darken and take all it has given life to with it. Then, it will burst, and return to its flame, and give back all it had taken. To allow Asgard's star to continue to burn beyond its time, another star must darken."_

_"What star? What star must darken?" Asked Odin._

_"The star of Vanaheim, the Golden Vanir so highly prized by your Aesir. She who has given you her magic and who has had her love stolen away. She must be extinguished, and Ragnarok will abate."_

_"That is all?" Asked Odin, relieved, but the wise woman shook her head._

_"All stars return, and she is no different. She will be extinguished at your hand, but she will come back darker, more powerful than before. And she will take something from you as precious as her light was to Asgard. You will owe her the thing in your possession most golden."_

_And Odin, so desperate to save his people, hurried home to Asgard. He went to her and told her the words of the wise woman._

_"I would not ask if the need were not dire." Said Odin._

_"I know." Replied she. "And I will do this on but one condition."_

_"Name it." Said Odin, desperate._

_"Remember my sacrifice."_

_"I will paint the city gold in your honour." Promised he. "The most golden thing of mine will be yours on your return."_

_To the mouth of the hungry Wolf they went, and to him Odin threw her, her beautiful Brisingamen in his hand._

_And so the Golden Vanir was extinguished._

* * *

Thor thought about the Golden Vanir a lot as he progressed through life, but it was only as he approached his adulthood those thoughts turned to dreams. 

A girl, young and clad darkly, staring down her own face covered in bruises. Dark hair and eyes, staring at the swelling but not touching. She matched the pigment from the bottle to her skin and began to cover the discolouration. 

A girl, not so young, surrounded by a group of people far too old for her company. She is passed a burning alcohol and takes it without a flinch. She revels in the purposeful loss of control. 

A woman, new to adulthood, standing over fresh graves of people she knows she shouldn't miss. They brushed off and abandoned her, but she still feels bad and guilty. 

A woman, hitting her stride in maturity, standing over the graves of ones she did love. The sweet ones who adored her and loved her as parents should have. What she would have given to be theirs alone. 

A woman, mind fuzzy and disoriented from booze and other intoxicants, stumbling to many different hotel rooms with many different people, always left unsatisfied and alone in the morning. But it's the only way she can feel loved, because attempts at love leave her wounded and crying. 

A woman, hooked to a car battery in a cave. Her companion tells her she had been golden when he put the battery in her. She builds a new machine to save herself, but the blue glow turns gold once it's locked inside her chest. She ignores it, and him. 

A woman, making a deal for a new facility to enhance hypothetical research. She offers a home to two great minds, who take her invitation to work in leisure and comfort away from the stressors of deadlines and funding galas. 

That dream about the woman in the desert was the last one he had before his banishment.

* * *

He awoke in a warm bed, wearing only his pants. He had no idea where this place was, what kind of backward realm would serve as a proper punishment for him. 

He managed his way out of bed, finding a new pair of pants (a softer, more elastic material) and a shirt that's too small. He opened the door and found himself in a hallway that looked a little barren yet somehow warm enough to be inviting, livable. He followed the sound of life and movement into an open-concept workspace, where two women and an older man are watching the woman from his dreams argue with a dark-skinned man who looked ready to explode. 

"You're telling me you almost hit this guy with your car, then abduct him and bring him  _here_? You know you're already on a watchlist, right?"

"Rhodey, if they're going to watch me, let them. The news already does. I wasn't just going to leave some guy to die in the desert."

"You report him to the police, Tony!"

One of the women in the audience, the darker-haired one with glasses, yelped and jumped out of her seat when she caught sight of him.

"The shirt is too small."

"So that's it? You wanna fuck him, so you pick up a desert hobo?" Rhodey threw his hands up into the air and turned away, clearly frustrated and upset. Tony wasn't listening to him anymore, instead roving her eyes over Thor's bare chest with a flash of amber in her eyes that may have just been a trick of the light.

"Need I remind you that you also pick up desert hobos."

"You don't fucking count! I was  _looking_ for you!"

She waved him off and he made a noise of disgust. 

"Pepper can sort your idiot ass out. I'm done for today. If he kills you because he's  _a dude you kidnapped from the desert_ , I'm going to revive you to kill you myself." Rhodey slammed the door as he left. 

"These first meetings always go so well around you, Miss Stark." The older man murmured. 

"You can say that shit again." The young woman who jumped agreed. 

"Ignore them." She walked right up to him, took the too-small shirt and extended a hand. "I'm Tony Stark. Found you in the desert, as I'm sure Rhodey's yelling informed you."

"Thor." He took her hand. "What realm is this?"

She raised an eyebrow at the term  _realm_. "New Mexico. The United States. Earth, if you want to get specific."

"Midgard." 

"Oh, I get it. You're a cosplayer. Little bit far away from San Francisco, my man. I didn't find any wallet on you. Did you leave it in the hotel room so you couldn't buy booze and would up out here anyway?"

"I- Wha- No?" 

"It's all good with me, either way. You can crash here for as long as you need to." She walked over to a bank of devices on the wall. "I'll order you some proper clothes in the meantime. Once you remember where you were, I'll cab you back and you can be on your way. Oh, and these people staring at your nipples are Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig."

"Pleasure to meet you." He inclined his head to them. 

"You too!" The youngest one, Darcy, piped up with a cheerful smile. 

"Hi." Jane waved meekly. 

"Hello." Erik said. 

"They staff this facility, so you'll be seeing a lot of them." Tony turned back, tossing the shirt over her shoulder. "In the meantime, let's get you acquainted with the grounds."

* * *

He found himself immediately and intensely attracted to Tony. She seemed to return the favour, and that night, he found himself in her bed. The next morning went remarkably well, too. 

"Can honestly say, I've never been with someone who could eat me out like that." She said over a cup of coffee. 

"I would be surprised if you had." He replied, also drinking the liquid. "I am a god."

"Whatever you say, man." 

"What about the golden medallion in your chest?"

Jane and Erik motioned for him to stop speaking, while Darcy's eyes went wide, looking between them. 

Tony smiled tightly. "It's a souvenir."

"From where?"

"The desert that almost killed me."

Thor nodded in understanding. "Yes, the man who told you he saw you turn gold. Did he not also implant the device?"

Jane and Erik took the keenest interest known to man in the surfaces of their desks, while Darcy stopped at the door, half a bagel and a coffee in her hand. 

"What? What'd I miss?" Darcy looked between them all, but Tony only stood. 

"You and I need to talk. Privately."

He followed her out of the main lab to a small conference room, marked soundproof. He sat down in a chair, she tapped her watch, and suddenly her gauntleted hand was in his face, a blue-glowing orb in the centre of her palm pulsing. 

"How did you find out about Yinsen?"

He was mildly affronted. "I saw you in my dreams. All the time. I saw him tell you how you glowed golden. I saw how the device in your chest turned from blue to gold, how the mark round it's base spread like gold leaf across your sternum. It's very sensitive - that's why I did not touch it last night."

"Holy shit." She dropped the gauntlet. "You must actually be Thor."

"Aye. I am."

She dropped down into a chair near him. "So, the coronation I dreamed about four days ago? Why I had no dream last night?"

"Aye." He admitted. "I was supposed to be crowned, but it went awry."

"You mean you attacked the ice place like an idiot." She huffed. "Alright. Okay. I'm crazy and slept with a crazy guy. Maybe I really do need Rhodey's help."

"What I don't know is why I see you, and you see me."

"What, no Asgardian curse binding us together?"

"Not likely." He looked her over. 

A relatively common Midgardian. Olive skinned, dark hair and eyes. Sturdy, but lean. Older, but not showing it. He wondered why it was her he seen, not someone like Jane, or Darcy? Truly, there was little difference between them all in terms of looks. All similar features, but Tony stood out to him. 

"Well, best to make the most of it, then." Tony sat back, assessing him more clinically than she had before. "Name something no one else knows."

"The first time Howard put out a cigar on you, it was on your collarbone."

Her hand unconsciously flew to the spot, just as his eyes had drifted to it. 

"Okay. That's a good one. Even Mom didn't know about that."

"I know your whole life, Tony."

* * *

The next three days passed in comfort. Tony was the approximation of a queen here, with riches beyond her ability to spend. They even continued to lay together. He was not ashamed to admit she engendered a lot of sudden and intense feelings within him. She seemed to return them as well, and he considered that he might be content in this banishment, at her side. 

Then Sif, Hogun and Volstagg appeared. 

"We've come to get you back!" Volstagg declared happily. 

"Get me back? Father banished me."

"The Allfather has fallen into the Odinsleep." Sif explained. "We need you back."

He did his best not to shuffle. "I have been stripped of my godhood. There is little I can do even if I follow you."

"Sorry to break up this little reunion, but what the fuck is that?" Tony, standing slightly behind him, pointed down the street. "I really hope you guys brought that."

"The Destroyer." Hogun muttered. 

"Say again?" Tony sounded a little more worried. 

"Loki knows." Sif readied her spear. "He must have seen us leave."

"Right. Not good, then." Tony hurried over to a recessed door. "Party time, J. Let's welcome my newest collection of scrap metal."

"Of course, sir."  The AI said, and began encasing her in a red and gold suit of armour. 

"Have you always possessed that?" Thor asked, watching in awe as her faceplate dropped. 

"Well, I've been Iron Man for a little over a year now. So, not always." She walked out onto the street, then began to fly, assessing the random and critical damage the Destroyer was inflicting. "So, how much of an asshole is Loki, exactly? Because that deli totally didn't deserve that."

"He's going to try and kill us." Sif deadpanned. 

"Noted." She took off towards it and his heart jumped into his throat. 

"Protect her!"

Volstagg looked at him funny. "She seems perfectly capable, my friend."

It didn't take long for the battle to begin going poorly. Along with Jane, Darcy and Erik, he began to evacuate the people, but the more Iron Man got swatted out of the sky, the more nervous he became. When she was grabbed and the Destroyer tore off her chest plate, he knew he couldn't wait on them any more. 

"I'm here! Take my life."

The Destroyer paused, looking over at him. 

"Spare them, brother. Have my life, and leave them alone."

It dropped Tony and moved toward him. It fired it's shot, and the world went dark on him to the sound of Tony's scream. 

* * *

When the lightning faded and he came back to himself, the faces of the buildings were caked in gold. Through the Destroyer were several golden spears, one through the face. Tony floated in front of it, her entire body lit gold and her eyes the flaming colour of Brisingamen. The Reactor in her chest shone white. 

"He is mine. I was promised." She said, but her voice echoed, spoken from everywhere at once. She extended her hand, then slowly curled in her fist. The Destroyer, faced in veins of the precious metal, began to crumple and collapse. 

The Warriors Three who had rushed to his side stood in awe. 

"It can't be." Sif murmured. 

"The Golden Vanir has returned to us." Hogun was smiling broadly, staring up at her. 

The Destroyer caked over in molten gold, then lay still. Tony descended to the ground, landing gently. The gold on her body receded. As he approached her, he could hear her hissing angrily. 

"No! I won't be taken over! I'm still me! I'm still me no matter who else is in here too. I'm still me!"

"Tony?"

She turned to him, looking more than a little wild, her eyes still aflame. "I know she's in here, I felt her wake up in Afghanistan. She saved me, gave me her memories, told me about the bargain. Then she became a part of me. She melted into me until I couldn't tell what was her and what was me. But I'm still me! I'm not letting her take me over, her stupid prophecy dictate  _my_ life! She's piggybacking on me, not the other way around."

"Tony, it's okay."

"No! No it's not!" She stepped back. "They're bowing to me and they don't even know who I am! They don't know my name!"

He glanced behind him, finding the Warriors Three on one knee, looking at each other dubiously at her outburst. "Tony, she's not trying to overtake you. She's you. She's been you since you were born. But I don't care about that. I need your help."

She took a few panicked, deep breaths. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to get us back to Asgard." Mjolnir had never felt to comfortably reassuring in his hand. "Freyja gave us the knowledge to build the Bifrost. You have all her knowledge and power."

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Okay. But don't blame me if you wind up in some backwoods realm. I've been-" She swallowed. "-actively repelling her for a while now."

"Do what you can." He cupped her face. I will come back for you. I promise."

She smiled wanly. "If he's got control of the Bridge or has sabotaged it somehow, how do you plan on fixing it? How do you plan on awakening Odin?"

"Plan as I go?"

"That's a shitty plan."

"A little hypocritical, coming from you."

She raised her eyebrow. "Okay, fair. But I'm being serious."

"So am I." He smiled at her. "Keep your life. Stay here."

She looked ready to argue, but pursed her lips and nodded resolutely. "Stand together."

They all gathered around him and she extended one palm, facing the ground. Beneath them, the sigil of the Bifrost appeared. Her fingers went golden. She raised the other hand, then snapped her fingers and the rainbow bridge spirited them away. 

* * *

He wished, in retrospect, that he had of brought her. 

"You look troubled." Frigga commented, walking alongside him. 

"I have a lot on my mind."

"The Warriors Three told me about Freyja."

He stopped. "They did?"

She nodded. "She's returned in the form of a Midgardian."

"Her name is Tony now."

Frigga inclined her head gracefully. "When we have finished the Bifrost again, perhaps you could bring her."

"She might not want to come." He warned. 

"She might not be at war with herself anymore, either." His mother pointed out. "But she is strong. Odin felt her awakening."

He kept his dreams of her to himself. 

"She may not be Freyja as I remember her." Frigga succeeded. "But that doesn't mean she doesn't belong here as much as she does on Midgard."

"When Father can return me, I will ask it of her."

* * *

Across the universe, Thanos looked out over the stars with a smile. 

"She's returned."

 

 


	2. Return

His dreams were haunted by her on Asgard. 

"What troubles you, my son?" Frigga asked, hand on his arm. "Loki?"

"Yes, but he is not alone in my mind."

She squeezed, reassuring and loving. "Tell me."

He sighed, unsure if he should. Tony had been express in her desire not to be known as Freyja, and he knew telling others of her - after going to the trouble of swearing Sif and the Warriors Three to secrecy - would bring about exactly what she was trying to avoid. "I met a woman."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Tony, a Midgardian. She sheltered me in my exile. Very brilliant. A warrior in her own fashion." He took a breath. "One with whom I became very close very quickly."

"I see. Your heart misses her." Frigga smiled sympathetically. "Once the Bifrost is fixed, you may return to her."

He wasn't going to leave it a non-option - she was more than just some Midgardian infatuation. He dreamed of her - of the Senate hearing, of the man with the whips, of the explosions and how, as soon as the little machine in her chest was removed, it glowed blue once more. 

"That's not all there is to this woman, is it?" Frigga asked, shrewd as ever. 

"No. She is remarkable in every way, but I cannot tell you of her. Not yet."

"May I ask why?"

"I wish I could tell you." He offered her a smile, but her returning one was as weak as his. "Once the Bifrost is working, I must go to her."

"Of course."

"Queen, Prince."

They turned to find a guardsman bowing respectfully. 

"Yes?" Frigga answered. 

"The Allfather requests you meet in the throne room. Prince Loki has been located on Midgard."

"Thank you." Frigga turned to him, serious. "Go."

He nodded and took off. 

* * *

When he got tackled away from Loki, he'd expected a fight. Not- 

"Thor?" The visor of the armour popped open and the lovely face of Tony was made visible. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for Loki and the Tesseract." He softened. "I had hoped, in the meantime, I would find you again."

"Well, you're in the right place. Would have been a shame for you to land in New Mexico." She cocked her head. "So, who gets Loki?"

"He needs to go back to Asgard. Midgard can't hold him."

"Says you."

The cave flashed through his mind. "It didn't hold you."

Her eyes narrowed - she knew - but didn't take the bait. "His little stunt in Stuttgart can't go unpunished."

"And it won't. Let me take him to Asgard."

She hesitated, then looked up. A man was slowly descending from the sky, dressed mostly in blue. "Let us interrogate him first, then I'll work on letting you take him back to Asgard."

"We mustn't linger. The longer he's here, the more likely his machinations come to fruition."

"Aaaaaand we left him alone on that cliff." She smiled tightly to herself. "Let's go get him before Spangles over there comes for us."

He smiled at her, genuinely, and she smiled back. 

"I've thought of you since my departure. You're in my dreams."

"You're in mine, too. That's why I'm not mad at you - I seen the state of the Bifrost. When this is done, maybe I'll come with you. Help finish it."

That surprised him. "You know about construction of the Bifrost?"

"My focus may have been seidhr, but I'm not an idiot." She cleared her throat. "Plus, ya know. I'm an engineer? Fixing stuff is what I do."

He reached over and let his sparks tingle up the arm of her suit. "I know."

She was so soft in that instant, but then the man in blue landed. 

"Stark!" He yelled, running over to where they were. She stepped away from him. 

"Calm down, Capsicle." She barked back. "I'm playing nice. My new best friend is going to let us take Loki back to the helicarrier and assist us."

"Really?" The blue man eyed them dubiously. 

"Yeah, really." She shot back, unimpressed. "Call Romanov for pickup."

He nodded, abruptly amicable, and turned away to call. 

"Tony-"

"Not here, Thunderdome." She whispered back. 

He nodded, even if he didn't understand why.

* * *

On the flying boat - the helicarrier - he found himself yanked back behind a stack of crates into a cramped and darkened space. He spun around, but she was on him in an instant, her hands in his hair and one leg wrapped around his waist. 

"I've missed you." She managed between mind-melting kisses. "I can't stop thinking about you."

He picked her up, pressing her back against one of the steel boxes and kissing her back just as ferociously, one hand cradling the back of her head. "And I you."

The light in her chest glowed brighter, less golden more white with intensity. 

"All I want to do is ride you." She admitted, tilting his head back to kiss the thick column of his neck. "To watch you come for me again. I want you all over me and to never let me go."

"I won't, my goddess." He answered, clutching her to him. 

"Is it like this for all the gods?" She licked the bulging tendon in his neck. "We spent one long weekend together and I've been itching for you ever since. No one else compares."

"Aye, I did the same." He ducked his head down to mouth at her skin too, groaning when she tugged on his hair. "You haunt me. You are where I'm supposed to be."

She hissed, pulling him back to kiss him senseless one more time. When she was satisfied - or as much as she was going to be - she gestured for him to put her down. He ran his hands over what of her body he could before she stepped away. The urge to recapture her was strong, but he pushed it down and let her step away.

"You can't tell anyone." She met his gaze. "About the Freyja thing."

"They don't know?"

"No. I crushed any media coverage of New Mexico. And no one is going to know."

"May I ask why? Why hide it?"

"Mostly because I'll sound insane. I'm already Iron Man. If some magic leaks out of me, I can just say it's a suit function."

"Your strongest magic tells the future."

"I know what seidhr does." She ran her hands through her hair. "Just- Keep it between you and me, okay? It doesn't work here like it does on Asgard."

He took her hand. "One day, I will bring you home."

She smirked crookedly. "Introduce me to Frigga? Wasn't a fan of mine much before, honestly."

"She has nothing but respect for you now."

"Killing yourself to save the planet will do that."

He chuckled, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can imagine so."

Her pocket started beeping, breaking the cocoon of intimacy they'd been in. She groaned, her head thudding against the metal. "Who is it, J?"

"Doctor Banner, sir." Her pocket answered. "Inquiring as to your location."

"Tell him I'll be there in a moment."

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment before she reached up to cup his face. 

"One day." He promised again. 

She smiled ruefully at him, then left.

* * *

He didn't get much of a chance to talk to her in the intervening time. Between the helicarrier falling from the sky, being thrown from it by Loki and the ensuing battle for New York, there wasn't a moment to spare. 

Inside the wormhole, he felt her light flicker and his own heart jumped in his chest. He would have caught her too, if the Hulk had not been quicker to the mark. 

After the battle, with Loki in one hand and the Tesseract in the other, he looked at her. 

"Now?" He asked. The others looked at them funny, but her mouth only twisted. 

"Afraid not, Point Break. Too much to do here." She winked. "Soon, though."

* * *

 

* * *

 _Soon_ turned into two years. 

"You're late." Heimdall poked when he arrived on the Bifrost. 

"Yes, well. Celebration can sometimes be more of a chore than battle."

"Then you're doing one of them incorrectly." Heimdall's smile was crooked with fondness. "Who have you come to see today?"

He smiled back. "Tony."

"She is very clever, your mortal. She has noticed the Convergence and has recruited your friend Jane Foster to study it. They are in-" Heimdall paused, frowning. 

"What? What is it?"

"I can no longer see them."

* * *

Tony was jogging out of the building when he arrived, running up to Jane and Darcy. 

"You called the cops? What did you do that for?" She demanded. 

"You were gone for five hours." Jane snapped back. "What else were we supposed to do?"

Thunder rumbled overhead and Tony spun around, facing him. She ran over to him. 

"Sorry I didn't come after I was ready to. Other stuff popped up and I didn't get the chance-"

"Where did you go? Heimdall lost sight of you." He interrupted, cupping her neck. 

"Some cave in the middle of the world." She answered. " something jumped out of a rock at me but I'm fine so that's unimportant. I take it that your presence here means the Bifrost is fixed?" 

"Tony, you can't just brush off what happened. How do you know it was harmless?"

"I don't, but I'm Asgardian so I'm fine."

"That's not how that works."

"Yeah, I know." She smiled tightly even as police approached her. 

"Ma'am, you are trespassing on private property." He informed her. 

"I actually know David Becker, and he gave me permission to be here once we discovered the gravitational anomaly." She replied back, easy and fluid. 

"Since we were called, we still require you come to the station and get him on call you corroborate your story."

"Yeah, of course. But can you give me a moment? There's some Avengers business going on right here."

He frowned, but nodded. "Ten minutes is all I can spare for you."

"I appreciate it."

He turned and went back over to Darcy and Jane, who were looking on worriedly. 

"You need to come to Asgard. I'm not convinced that whatever you found isn't dangerous. There is very little that can remove you from Heimdall's sight."

"Look, I get it. I really do understand what you're trying to say, but I've got to deal with this first." Her irritation was rising - she could feel it. 

He stared at her, silent and assessing. 

"What?"

"Your fingers."

She looked and and immediately put her hands in her pockets. Her fingers were gold, creeping down towards her wrist. 

"It's in your hair too. The roots of your hair are turning gold."

She tried to suppress it, tried to think down the power, but the more she did, the more anxious she got and the worse the discolouration became. 

"Tony, breathe." He pulled her into him, wrapping her in his arms. 

"Miss Stark, I'm afraid time's up."

Her breathing hitched and a rush of red-black power pulsed from her, sending the officer flying. 

Jane ran over, checking on the officer, then up to them. "Thor, give me her phone."

He fished down into her back pocket and handed Jane the glass device. 

"Get her out of here. I'll take care of this."

"Jane, no, c'mon, I'm fine-"

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost." He called and they were beamed away. 

Once they were inside the Gate, she shoved away from him, her footprints leaving little starbursts of gold on the polished floor. 

"What the hell did I just say?! No one knows! I can't just up and vanish, even if you say so!"

"Tony, look." He gestured to the floor, to the colour now encasing her hands and a good two inches of her hairline.

"Fuck." She muttered weakly to herself, brushing her hands along her jeans like it would get rid of the gold. 

"Lady Freyja. Two could I not have seen it before." Heimdall's tone was reverent, and he dropped to one knee. "Welcome home."

"I love fan love as much as the next hero, but I'm not a goddess."

"And yet, the city before you is painted in tears for your sacrifice." Heimdall stood again. "Tony."

"I need to get you to a healer." He gently touched her arm. "Please."

"I'm here now, I guess. But you gotta give me a chance to calm down." She implored. 

He tugged her outside the Gate and sat down on the edge of the bridge, pulling her onto his lap. She curled up there, letting him hold her and breathe through the panic attack until the only hint of it was her golden fingernails. 

"I'm okay now."

"Good." He stood without putting her down, grabbed Mjolnir and flew off. 

The healers were quick to his call and laid her down in the soul forge. 

"What is that?" He gestured to the red mass swirling through her. 

"We don't know." An apprentice said. "But the energy it emits is formidable. It may kill her sooner rather than later."

Tony pretended not to hear them. "This looks like an Asgardian version of a quantum field generator."

"They are very similar." He cut in before the head healer could get dismissive. "Through intended for different purpose."

She nodded, continuing to observe the readouts. 

"Are my words mere noises to you?"

The healers backed away immediately as Odin entered. 

"I would not have done, but she is ill-"

"Mortals have many diseases, which they have doctors for."

"Father, she's-"

"Return her to Midgard."

Tony scrambled off the forge as the guards approached her. "Look, I don't want to hurt you."

One of them scoffed. She tapped the watch on her wrist, encasing her hand in an Iron Man gauntlet, and held it up. 

"Put your weapon down." Odin commanded. 

"Thor's right." Tony shot back. "There's something non-terrestrial inside me."

"That is your concern, not ours."

The gauntlet shot gold, along with the floor, walls, ceiling and two guards. 

"The Convergence opened a pathway to the middle of my world and I found a red sludge there trapped in a massive brick craved in Æsir." She snapped. The room them began to creak ominously as black and red threaded through the golden walls. "So whatever's inside me  _is_ your fault and you're going to get it out of me."

"Follow me." Odin replied. 

He lead them down to the treasure room, with just the three of them, and sighed deeply. "My apologies. I should have known."

"Known what, Father?"

"That such a fiesty being as Freyja would reappear in the form of a mortal." He opened a box, pulling out a necklace of red stone. "I have kept your greatest weapon hidden away, as you asked."

She gently took the necklace, touching one of the six inlaid stones with her thumb. "Brisingamen."

There was the sound of rushing air and she abruptly collapsed onto her knees. Odin caught Brisingamen while Thor grabbed her, pulling her up into his arms. 

"Tony? Tony are you alright?"

The gold that had been present on her nails and in her hair vanished, leaving her looking as normal and mortal as she had always been. 

"Father, what-" His eye caught the stone she'd touched, the way it hummed softly with power, glowing where the others were dormant. 

"The dwarves created the Gauntlet to hold and use the Infinity Stones." Odin explained. "Freyja was given Brisingamen as a gift from the dwarves before they became our enemy, and she enchanted it to counter the Gauntlet."

He looked back down at Tony, blinking awake in his arms. 

"I forgot about that." She murmured. 

"Forgot?" He exclaimed, exasperated. "How do you simply forget something like that?"

"Be dead for a couple thousand years?" She snarled back. "My headache's gone, though."

"How long have you known she was Freyja?" Odin turned on Thor. 

"Since I returned from exile."

"That long and you never mentioned it to me?"

"I told him to keep it quiet." She tapped him to let her down. "This, right here? Was what I didn't want. I have a life on Midgard, people I can't abandon there. It needs me. Asgard? Vanaheim? They're fine. Freyr can't be doing any worse than I was. He's nicer than me too."

"The warriors have prowled the fields of Fólkvangir and lingered in the hall of Sessrúmnir awaiting your return." Odin returned. "Freyr has no access there. Your own father cannot reach your hall."

"What could possibly go wrong there? They're all dead."

"You know exactly what."

She sighed, burdened. "You know, I never asked for this. Me, Tony, not this immortal goddess who hitched a ride on my soul." She took Brisingamen back from Odin. The necklace hummed in response to her touch, much the same way Mjolnir sung in Thor's hold. She clasped it around her neck and golden veining appeared in the empty stones, pulsing softly before falling dormant again. "I want to go on record saying that I don't like this."

"But you'll do it anyway." Odin replied. 

"Seems to be the crux of our relationship, hmm?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he looked appropriately chastised. "Will Brisingamen hold it for long?"

"We never did get the chance to try it." Odin admitted. "Your magic did remarkably well repelling the negative side effects. We'll have to see. For the next few weeks, at least, you will remain here."

"Fine."

Thor took her hand. "Let me show you Asgard as it is now."

"Get her changed, first." Odin cut in. "Can't have her too obvious in the crowd."

"Of course." He smiled at her and led her away, Brisingamen glittering against her collarbone, the golden light in her heart shining vividly. 

As he watched them go, he noticed Freyja never once turned to glance at any of the treasures hidden away there. Her attention remained fixed on Thor, who smiled at her as though the sun that fed Yggdrasill was of her own making. With a heavy heart, he realized what the fruition of his bargain with her would truly cost. 

"The most golden thing of mine." He whispered back to himself, watching his only blonde child vanish from view. 

* * *

Frigga met them in the room that had been prepared for her, a selection of dresses displayed on stands. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you again." Frigga said, bowing her head. 

"The years have been kind to you." Tony offered her hand and Frigga shook it. 

"Thor has spoken to me of you, and I admit to my own curiosities. Which name do you prefer, Freyja or Tony?"

She winced. "Tony, please."

"Tony, then." Frigga smiled. "I hope we can come together better than we had in the past."

"You're married to Odin now, with children of your own. I can only imagine there won't be so much immature bickering." Tony smirked. "On your end, anyway. Being human's made me more sassy."

Frigga smiled. "I look forward to your sharp tongue at work. It's little wonder Thor has taken a liking to you."

"I wish to show her Asgard, Mother."

"Of course. That's most of the reason I came." She moved and gestured to the six dresses. "Pick whichever you prefer."

"Gotta say, I like that red one."

Thor smiled indulgently - like he knew she would say that - and retrieved it. "I will help you dress."

She shrugged. "Well, I've been naked in weirder positions."

Frigga smirked and Tony immediately felt like they could be good friends. 

"I'll leave you to it. Meet me in my gardens for lunch, would you?" 

"Of course, Mother." Thor smiled at her, as wide and warm as the sun itself. 

* * *

"You know, when Odin said he would paint Asgard gold in my honour, I didn't think he was so literal."

Thor hummed next to her, their hands clasped tightly. "Indeed. The sacrifice you made is one that was not lightly forgotten. You are mostly myth now, but those who are old enough to remember speak of you with reverence, even those who admit to disliking you in life."

"Well, that's good. I can always look forward to honour after death." She snorted. 

"Have you decided which thing you will take?"

"Huh?"

He looked out over the city thoughtfully. "Mother used to tell us the tale when we were boys. The Allfather promised you  _the most golden thing of mine_."

She went still by his side, hand raising to brush over the Reactor. "Oh yeah."

"What will you take? There are many beautiful golden things here." He smiled brightly at her, dimming somewhat when he caught sight of her expression. "What? What is it?"

"The most golden thing of mine." She whispered back, meeting his gaze. His expression only grew more concerned. "Thor, that was a magical contract, not just a promise. That was the bargain."

"Which means?"

"The Norns have already taken it from him, what he's promised me." She stepped up to him, reaching up and running her fingers over a curled golden lock of hair. 

"I don't understand." He cupped her hand, eyes shining. 

"You." She swallowed. "He didn't know it and you weren't born yet, but he gave you to me. That's why we dream of each other when we're apart."

"Tony, breathe." He murmured. "You need to breathe."

She shook her head, backing away from him. "I've condemned you. I bound you to me."

"Tony-"

She shook her head again, more fiercely. "I need to get out of here."

"Tony, wait-" He grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley. She was breathing hard and shaking. "Get a hold of yourself. You've not condemned me to anything."

" _Yes_ I have." She hissed. "This isn't natural, normal. I had Odin  _sell_ you to me. To make you fall for me."

He managed an incredulous laugh. "You make it sound as though being in love with you is a hardship."

"It is.  _It is_." She insisted. "Just take a look at all the people who've left me before-"

"Because you're mine."  He pulled her into him, wrapping her in his warmth and security, the strength that belonged to him alone. "You're  _mine_. I've been waiting for you for a thousand years, to have you all to myself, and you knew even before your power awoke that you had someone waiting for you."

Her exhale was shaky. "You're too romantic."

"And Midgard has not been kind to you." He kissed the top of her head. "If it is as you say, then does that contract not also bind you to me? As much as I am sold to you, you are tied to me. Even if we tried, there is no other for us."

"Yeah, I guess not."

"Relax, then." He tilted her head back to kiss her on the mouth, gratified when she melted against him.  "And let what is be as it was intended."

"You definitely are nicer than a big cup."

He chuckled. "I should hope so." He tucked her hair behind her ear, impossibly fond. "I could never have been so lucky alone."

She snorted. "You know what's super surreal about this whole thing? Minus the two years we spent apart, we've known each other for like, a week."

"That is where you are mistaken." He leaned down and nuzzled into her. "We've known each other your whole life."

That managed to spark a genuine laugh out of her, pressing herself into her as the anxiety drained out of her body. "Yeah. Yeah, we have."

He beamed at her, unable to contain himself. Just being around her made him happy. Magical contract or not, he didn't want to trade her for anything. "Come. Mother likely has a picnic already arranged."

"Right. Don't want to keep Frigga waiting."

"Indeed not. She's very proud of her garden and likely has some blooms she wishes to show you." He took her hand again, leading her back through the maze-like buildup of Asgard.

The Aether rattled in Brisingamen.

"Thor." She stopped, touching the necklace. "Warn Odin."

"Warn Odin? Of what?"

She turned her gaze back to the Bifrost, where a massive ship blossomed into existence. "That."

"What about you?"

She looked down at her own hands, gold spreading down her fingers. "I've got an idea."

* * *

"What do you need me to do?" Frigga asked as soon as she rounded the corner. 

"Mask me. Hide my magic, make me look as mortal as possible." She held up her hands. "I'm not currently in the right state to do it."

Frigga nodded. "This way."

They hurried to Frigga's study, a quick charm making Tony look as she had the instant she set foot on the Bridge. Frigga grabbed her own blade, standing in front of her and standing guard as Tony worked against the clock. As predicted, it wasn't long until Malekith threw open the study's door.

"You have something that belongs to me, child." He murmured, stalking forward. He stopped a breath away from her, going to touch her Reactor and passing right through her in a hail of green light. He turned on Frigga with a dark snarl. " _Witch!_ Where is she?"

The Queen simply smirked at him and parried his attack, striking quickly and efficiently in the no-nonsense way she'd always carried. A warrior, but not a fighter, Frigga was every ounce the duellist from legend. A great deal of her skill came from being underestimated. 

At Tony's whisper of magic against her mind, she let the beast grab hold of her, smirking delightfully as they attempted to intimidate her. 

"Tell me where the mortal is." Malekith hissed. 

"I'll never tell you." She mocked back. 

"I believe you." Malekith went to stab her, only to find his body unresponsive. The golden threads that had been creeping along his body seized all at once, halting both him and the beast at his command. 

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" She emerged from the shadow of a pillar, red and golden plate armour covering her body, a plate skirt sliding along the floor behind her. 

Malekith snarled in rage. " _Freyja_."

"You know it." She loosened the beast's hold enough to free Frigga, who took her blade from the floor and shoved it through the skull of the grotesque creature that had held her. "There's one cardinal rule, little elf.  _Don't touch my stuff_."

"The Aether will not help you. You cannot rule it."

"I don't need to. I just need you not to have it." She closed her fist and the gold expanded, covering him, then contracted, crushing him from the outside in. 

Thor burst in, followed swiftly by Odin and a few guards. 

"I think we've had enough fun for today, don't you?" She snapped her other hand out, a golden blade coming to rest in her palm. She offered it to Frigga. "He slapped you across the face. How about you return the favour?"

"Gladly." The Queen took the blade and with a quick and powerful spin, decapitated the dark elf leader. The blade dissolved in her hand and the armour melted off Tony's body. 

"I see you have embraced your power." Odin commented, catching Frigga's embrace with a desperate one of his own. 

"Something like that." She looked at the gold-encased elves, shrugging and turning towards Thor. "Is the riot in the prison quelled?"

"Yes." He seemed in shock, as though he wasn't aware of just how strong she was supposed to be. "You're even more incredible than the stories said."

"She was our greatest weapon." Odin replied. "She didn't have her own hall for nothing."

"So, uh, how are we going to clean them up?" She gestured to the monster and the decapitated asshole. 

"We will bring warriors to rid of their bodies." Odin assured. "Perhaps, since you killed one of our eldest enemies, you would finally be willing to introduce yourself to the people?"

"Oooh no." She shook her head, backing up into Thor. "Not even remotely ready for that."

"Another time, Father." Thor wrapped an arm around her waist. "Perhaps a celebration?"

"Yes." Frigga inserted. "That sounds apt."

"You will have to own up to being Freyja eventually, Tony." Odin said. "Now or later, it will come to bear."

"I'll choose later for now, thanks."

He nodded, even though it was clear he wasn't impressed with her decision. "So be it. Arrange the celebration and have someone come to burn their bodies."

"Right away, sir." One of the guards in attendance said. 

* * *

"Will you come back to Asgard?"

In the depth of the evening, spending all night dancing and singing and drinking along with him, she was flushed and happy. This evening had been one of the best in a long time. She enjoyed his company so much, and if the memory of Pepper and Rhodey weren't so persistent, it was actually pretty likely she would have stayed just to wake up to his smile in the morning. 

"I will, when I can." She promised. 

He swept her off her feet with a kiss, intense and passionate. It didn't matter to her in that moment that it was something predestined, that he would love her regardless, just that he did and she wanted to bask in it for as long as she was allowed. 

"I want you to stay forever."

"One day, one day I will." She promised again. "I'll be yours without exception. One day."

"I will wait for you, love." He kissed her again. "As long as I need to."

"Good." She tangled her fingers in his blonde locks.

Above them, Frigga nudged Odin. "Don't look so dour."

"I had not envisioned this when I made my promise to her."

"There is nothing wrong." Frigga gestured to them. "I've never seen our son so happy. Allow him to remain so."

"It is not us, nor him, nor even her that endangers that happiness." He replied. "It is Odr."

Frigga fell quiet. "Indeed, but she is not remaining here. And we both know her feelings for him have long been in decay."

"Indeed, but he will not take so kindly to losing a prize."

"It is her decision, that the end of day. Nothing we say or do will change the outcome. So, for now, instead of lingering on possibilities, let us be happy for them and revel in the young love around us. Let the most golden thing of ours to bask in her soft light."

"As ever, you are right." He kissed her sweetly, as he had when he was a boy and was too shy to tell her she was pretty.

"Indeed." She looked down on her son, seeing the golden threads that bound them together and blessing them. 

_Let them remain happy forever._

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
